Compensation for man in botched cosmetic surgery case
08 May 2009
A man who says his face was left ruined by the mistakes of a
cosmetic surgeon is to receive compensation in an out-of-court
settlement.
Roger Matthews, 48, went for a routine rhinoplasty operation at the
Capio Winfield Hospital in Gloucester with surgeon James
McDiarmid.
However, the surgeon cut away too much cartilage from the tip of
the patient's nose.
Instead of admitting his mistake, he attempted to correct it by
performing another four futile operations on Mr Matthews.
The victim was left with a "significant cosmetic deformity", no
sense of taste or smell and an infection.
"This surgeon's mistakes have destroyed my face and every time I
look in the mirror I am reminded of what he did to me … I have been
left permanently disfigured," he commented.
Mr McDiarmid has now admitted negligence and has agreed to an
out-of-court settlement for Mr Matthews, although the exact sum has
not been disclosed.
According to the Harley Medical Group, demand for cosmetic surgery
is on the increase among men. This was attributed to greater
competition in the workplace and people wanting to stand out among
their peers in a restricted jobs market.
However, this may put more people at risk of negligence from
unscrupulous surgeons.
In October, it was ruled that the former pop star Pete Burns is to
receive compensation after botched plastic surgery left him
disfigured and in pain.
In order for a clinical negligence claim to be successful, a
solicitor must establish that the surgeon breached a duty of care
agreement between him or her and the patient.
Since there were no formal qualification checks on plastic surgeons
prior to April 2002, it may be easier to prove negligence in
plastic surgery cases than in other medical fields.
